Farewatch

With Valentine’s Day on a Saturday this year what better time to escape the cold of northern Europe for a romantic weekend away. We test 40 services on Europe’s six biggest LCCs to see where you should live to get the best deal.

We examine fares on the almost 1,400-kilometre route from Colorado to California on which Spirit recently joined Frontier, Southwest and United. We reveal the differences in fares and which of the two cities is more popular as a Valentine’s break.

Yes, Christmas is approaching and airline revenue managers are rubbing their hands with glee as they prepare to exploit the British desire to get some winter sunshine. We compare daily fares available from easyJet, Norwegian and Ryanair between London and Tenerife South.

With the 132nd IATA Slot Conference starting in just over a week, anna.aero takes a closer look at airline fares from 12 major European cities to Copenhagen. Despite being just a snapshot, the fare advantage of LCCs is still clear. SAS’ fares compare favourably with other legacy carriers on most routes.

The upcoming Easter weekend is a popular time to get away. Now that the UK’s record warm March has given way to a freezing April there is likely to be a surge of interest in getting away this weekend. But how much are the two biggest LCCs in the UK charging from their biggest bases? Which two destinations could you find yourself paying over €1000 for a return trip with easyJet?

So which US airports have the highest fares for domestic air travel? Using BTS data we look at 2010 Q4 data and also make comparisons with 2009 Q4. Which state has three of the top four airports for lowest fares? And which airline has two of its bases among the most expensive?

The capitals of Germany and Sweden are now connected by five different airlines. How do one-way fares for the next eight weeks compare and what “extras” do passengers have to pay for? Can you guess the ranking of the carriers in terms of average ‘basic’ fare? Probably, but exactly how wide is the range of average fares?

What happens when two LCCs go head-to-head with a legacy carrier operating a foreign base? How much more can passengers on LCCs pay if they have the ‘wrong’ sort of payment card, fancy a ‘good’ seat, and want to take some hold luggage? How does an upcoming national holiday in Italy impact fares in early June?

Following our lead story, how do airberlin and Lufthansa compare in terms of fares on Germany’s biggest domestic routes? What are average fares like for imminent travel and how much cheaper are they if booked six months in advance?

Ah, the Cheltenham Festival. The centenary of the legendary horse-racing event is taking place this week. There are plenty of enthusiasts in Ireland who can fly to nearby Bristol Airport. But how much will they have had to pay, depending on which flight they chose and when they booked it?